Archive for February 2011

A male mallard is in recovery this week after the successful removal of BB pellets from his stomach by International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) staff.

The drake arrived in late January at IBRRC’s Southern California center, and was not able to stand or walk. He was very dehydrated, had poor blood values, and was clearly in distress

When he was x-rayed, IBRRC staff discovered approximately 30 BBs in his stomach.

On February 1, staff members anesthetized the mallard and flushed out the pellets, using warm water and gavage tubing. Two days later he was able to stand again, and began recovery in Bird Rescue’s warm water hospital pools.

He is improving each day.

IBRRC has been saving aquatic birds around the world since 1971, and is a world leader in emergency response, rehabilitation, research and education. Its team of specialists has led oiled wildlife rescue efforts in over 200 oil spills in 11 States, two U.S. territories, and 7 different countries. Bird rescue is equally proud of the care it provides to the 5,000 injured, hungry, or orphaned birds that come into its centers each year. It is committed to ensuring that every bird impacted by changes to their environment is given hope to survive and thrive.

ABOUT BIRD RESCUE

In addition to responding to oil spills around the world, International Bird Rescue staff work to care for birds impacted by lesser known threats like natural oil seeps under the ocean, algal blooms, marine debris, and extreme weather. We use this blog to share stories from the field and from the two California-based bird rescue centers we manage. We hope you enjoy this window into our world—we are truly passionate about caring for birds, and know that our community shares this passion. We could not do this important work without your ongoing support!